Jew Oughta Know
Jason Harris
From ancient history to current events, take yourself on a journey through the story of the Jewish People, from someone who has led hundreds of Jewish young professionals on trips throughout Israel. From the beginning of creation to modern Israel, each short episode is geared to appeal both to someone looking for the Jewish 101, as well as to those looking to go a bit beyond the basic story they already know. Check out the website at https://jewoughtaknow.com/. Enjoy!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 8, 2019 • 25min
76. Israel 1948-1967: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Just Vote Left All the Time
Don't know your Prime Minister from your President? Israeli politics has been big in the news in 2019 -- so here's how the government works, and why Israel voted left for the first thirty years of its existence.
Dec 1, 2019 • 24min
75. Israel 1948-1967: Expulsion
When the IDF seized the town of Lydda from Arab forces during the War of Independence, Ben Gurion ordered the expulsion of tens of thousands of Palestinians. Was it justified? Was it just?
Nov 25, 2019 • 24min
74. Israel 1948-1967: Twenty Miles from Tel Aviv
The War of Independence continues as the Egyptian army uses the Gaza Strip to make a run for Tel Aviv. They were stopped by the new Israeli Air Force, which had to source parts, planes, and pilots from all over the world.
Nov 18, 2019 • 25min
73. Israel 1948-1967: The Almost Civil War
Barely a month after declaring independence, a fight on the beach in Tel Aviv almost splits Israel in two. As the army struggles to supply the Jewish side of Jerusalem, the Israel Defense Forces and the Irgun open fire on each other over a ship called the Altalena.
Nov 4, 2019 • 26min
72. Israel 1948-1967: The First Day
Within hours of declaring independence, Israel was invaded by five Arab armies. In the middle of an existential war, the government made its first decision: to proclaim Israel open for Jewish immigration.
Oct 27, 2019 • 24min
71. Israel 1948-1967: The Declaration
On May 14, 1948, just a few minutes before Shabbat, David Ben Gurion declared the new State of Israel. Reading from the Declaration of Independence, which just barely made it to the secret ceremony, he committed the new Jewish State to idealistic and historic principles, while bracing for a war he knew was imminent.
Jul 14, 2019 • 28min
70. Unsolved Jewish Mysteries: the Ark of the Covenant
Straight out of Indiana Jones, the Ark of the Covenant just might be the single greatest missing relic of all time. A fitting finale to Season 3, it disappeared quite suddenly in the 6th century BCE and hasn't been seen since. We go looking for it all over the Middle East and Africa.
Jul 7, 2019 • 22min
69. Unsolved Jewish Mysteries: The Messiah
It's the end of the world as we know it. The Messiah might already be here, but who is he, what's going to happen, and when?
Jun 30, 2019 • 21min
68. Unsolved Jewish Mysteries: The Dead Sea Scroll Treasure
Sixty-four clues. A vast treasure two thousand years old. Billions of dollars in buried gold. All engraved on a copper scroll hidden away in a cave near the Dead Sea that was found in 1952.
Jun 24, 2019 • 22min
67. Unsolved Jewish Mysteries: The Iraqi Jewish Archive
The U.S. military found a treasure trove of Jewish artifacts in the basement of Iraq's intelligence headquarters. Who should get it: Iraq, the United States, or the Iraqi Jewish community in America?
